Amid reports of Kangana Ranaut‘s ‘Emergency’ movie screening being disrupted in the UK, the Ministry of External Affairs in its weekly presser on Friday said that the freedom of speech cannot be applied selectively. Randhir Jaiswal, the MEA spokesperson, said India consistently raises concerns with the UK government regarding incidents of violent protests and intimidation by anti-India elements, as he added, “Freedom of speech and expression cannot be applied selectively, and those obstructing it must be held accountable.”
Here’s what the MEA said
“We hope the UK side will take appropriate action against those responsible. Our High Commission in London remains in touch in regular communication with our community members”, the MEA further added.
Earlier, news agency PTI reported that some British Sikh groups organised protests against ‘Emergency’, as they disrupted its screenings at some cinemas in the UK since its release last Friday.
In a post on social media, the Sikh Press Association group stated that the film is seen as “anti-Sikh”. These protests have resulted in cancelled screenings in Birmingham and Wolverhampton, in the West Midlands region of England.
Opposition in UK urge Home Secretary to intervene
An Opposition Conservative Party Member of Parliament urged the UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper to intervene after his constituents in north-west London were threatened by “masked Khalistani terrorists” who burst into a screening of the film.
“On Sunday, many of my constituents gathered and paid for a screening of the film ‘Emergency’ in the Harrow Vue cinema. At about 30 or 40 minutes into the screening of the film, masked Khalistani terrorists burst in, threatened members of the audience and forced the screening to end,” Conservative member Bob Blackman said in UK Parliament.
He added that certain elements in the UK view it as an “anti-Sikh film” but also defended the democratic rights of his constituents, noting that they should be able to judge for themselves and not be “threatened by thugs who want to disrupt democratic opportunities to see public films.”
(With inputs from PTI)
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